


nothing

by sweetestdcwnfall



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Best Friends, F/M, Fluff, Inspired by Music, Rina Week 2020 (HSM: The Series)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:21:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24167296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetestdcwnfall/pseuds/sweetestdcwnfall
Summary: "there's nothing like doing nothing with you."
Relationships: Ricky Bowen & Gina Porter, Ricky Bowen/Gina Porter
Comments: 3
Kudos: 28





	nothing

**Author's Note:**

> ♡ Day 2 of Rina Week! inspired by nothing by bruno major ♡

**Gina Porter and Ricky Bowen love to do nothing.**

They remember the very first time they did nothing like the back of their hands.

Ricky had been hit with a bad case of insomnia that night. It was a Thursday, a few minutes until midnight. He had been tossing and turning in bed for the past hour, re-fluffing his pillow in frustration every few minutes. At this point, as he stared at the ceiling of his dark room- the only light being that of the moon peeking in through the blinds- he’d already counted all the sheep and even listened to some random meditation podcast he found. 

Officially giving up on sleep for the night, he figured he could just bug the one person, besides Big Red, that’d tolerate his antics this late on a school night. He twirls one of his curls around his finger as he waits for her voice to fill his ears, a bright smile taking over his face when it does.

_“Hey, you. Everything alright?”_

**_“It is now.”_ **

_“You’re so… did that actually work on Nini?”_

**_“Kinda. Is it working on you?”_ **

_“Goodnight.”_

**_“Gi, wait!”_ **

She hums in response.

**_“What are you doing?”_ **

_“Nothing, Ricky. You do realize it’s midni-”_

**_“Can I go do nothing with you?”_ **

He’s met with silence, a sign that she was actually taking it into consideration. When he hears her let out a sigh, he’s already started putting on his shoes. 

**_“I’ll be there in like 15 minutes.”_ **

On the other side of the line, Gina is bundled up in bed, setting aside the laptop that she had been resting on her belly as she watched one of her comfort tv shows- a couple episodes usually did the trick and put her to sleep in no time. Tonight was an exception as she sat wide awake. _Must be something in the air._

Those 15 minutes flew by and Gina was surprised at Ricky’s sudden sense of punctuality. Before she knew it, she was helping the curly haired boy climb in through her window. When his poorly tied shoe gets stuck in the window sill and falls straight into the Caswell’s bushes, they fight the urge to laugh. 

“I’ll get that later.” 

Gina feigns annoyance but the innocent look on his face makes it a little more genuine. Still peeking out the window at the lone shoe in the bushes, she places her hand on his back and applies enough pressure to make him believe she’s gonna push him. She can’t help but let out a snort at the scared look on her face. 

“Oh, _it’s on_.”

“Ricky, you need to shut up.” She lets out a squeal when she’s suddenly being swept off her feet and tossed onto her bed. Both of them immediately reach for a pillow, shushing each other in between muffled laughter.

“You’re gonna wake Ashlyn up, doof-”

Ricky’s cut off by the blow of the pillow hitting his side, resulting in Gina silently cheering and whispering _‘sweet victory’_ as her best friend lands dramatically beside her on the bed, clutching his chest and slowly shutting his eyes.

They’d gone through almost half of the courses on Mario Kart by the time they found themselves sitting shoulder to shoulder against the headboard as they squinted at the small screen of the Switch, which was somehow staying balanced on top of Ricky’s thigh. He’d purposely flex his thigh every now and then, making the Switch slightly wobble, to get a reaction out of a hyper-focused Gina. When he did it during Rainbow Road, he found the death glare that she gave him to be quite endearing. 

Gina shimmied her shoulders and tossed the small remote beside her as she celebrated coming in first for the fifth time in a row, making a funny face when she finally glanced at what Ricky placed,

“Wai- you haven’t crossed the finish line y- RICHARD BOWEN! You’re in 12th place right now, what are you doing?” Her eyes travel between Ricky and the Baby Peach that was driving in the wrong direction of the track.

Ricky, whose eyes had been on Gina the majority of the time, simply shrugged, **“Looking at you.”**

When he finally focused on the game in front of him, Gina narrowed her eyes at him, a small smile making its way onto her face. _Weirdo_. She rests her head on his shoulder and lets out a yawn as she watches Baby Peach finally make a U-turn.

He hadn’t realized it yet, but he was falling harder for Gina with every second that passed. As long as he had the privilege to see her smiling brightly with a mess of curls in a bun atop her head ( _in all her glory_ ), he didn’t mind never winning another game ever again. 

**After that night, doing nothing became a sort of ritual for them.**

They’d spend the next year climbing into each other's windows and claim that every reason they came up with was valid enough for doing nothing to ensue. Their tradition, if you will, was put at risk when Ricky graduated and went away to college. He was only a state away in Arizona, but with accommodating to his new life and making new friends that were now taking up his time, he wasn’t as available as before. 

Gina never let herself take it too personally though, instead being glad that the transition was going well for him since everyone and their mom knows that Ricky doesn’t handle change very well. Plus, the first few months of Gina’s senior year brought along a new factor to her life: Andres. Her relationship with Andres was fun and exciting until, well, it wasn’t. With the stress brought on by senior year and Gina’s determination to make sure she was prepared and perfect to audition for her dream schools, her attention started to waver and every week she had less and less time for a boyfriend. So, when Andres broke up with her before the start of thanksgiving break, she wasn't entirely taken by surprise. It still hurt though.

It was at a friendsgiving, hosted by Ashlyn and Gina, that Ricky and Andres met. Sure, they’d broken up but they figured they could stay friends, considering there wasn’t any actual bad blood between the two. That didn’t stop Ricky from side-eyeing his best friend’s ex. He couldn’t help but pick the guy apart the entire night, wondering what Gina saw in him- other than, you know, his good looks, brain, and charming personality. 

After everyone had left and Ashlyn and EJ fell into food comas on the couch, Gina and Ricky took it upon themselves to clean up the house. They catch up on everything they might’ve missed in each other’s lives, from Ricky telling her about the time he swam in the school’s fountain and being very impressed with himself for not flunking out within the very first months of his college career, to Gina rambling about everything she’s got on her plate, from rehearsals for the musical, gathering up enough volunteer hours, and preparing for her auditions. Ricky so nicely put it when he reassured her that any program that doesn’t accept her is _fucking stupid_. 

He also tries to imply that Andres never deserved her in the first place if he couldn't accept that her dreams are her top priority. She can’t help but roll her eyes at the snarky comment, stating that he was just jealous.

“Why would I be jealous when _I’m_ the one standing here with you? Not him. I accept, and support” he holds his index finger up for emphasis, “that your dreams come first.”

Gina can’t hide the amused look on her face, raising a brow at his statement, “ _Okay_ … but you’re not my boyfriend.”

Ricky lets out a dramatic gasp, crouching down a bit, “Please. Don’t remind me.” 

Although he was just messing around, the little animated dude in his head really did feel the pain that the reminder caused- he was in full fetal position on the ground mourning this loss for Ricky Nation.

Gina laughs at his dramatics, hopping up onto the kitchen island, “Have I told you lately how grateful I am for you?” 

“I mean… it _is_ Thanksgiving so you might’ve said it about a thousand times already,” he pauses when he sees the annoyed look on her face, “BUT I’ll happily take it because you’ll never know how much it means to me, Lady Porter.”

“Lady Por-?” She shakes her head at him and smiles widely. “Alright, Lord Bowen, what do you say to doing nothing? It’s been a while.”

Ricky steps forward with a pep in his step, a serotonin boost clearly coursing through his veins, “Why, I thought you’d never ask.” He says with a smug smile on his face.

“Can we watch _The Notebook_?” Gina steps down from the kitchen island and starts making a way towards the staircase to go up to her room. 

“Ugh- Gi,” Ricky rolls his eyes and throws his hands up, following behind, “We’ve seen that like seventeen times!” He catches up to her and gently grabs her hands, wrapping his arms around her from behind as she’s about to set her foot onto the first step. Resting his chin on her shoulder he mumbles, “It’s stupid.”

She rests her head against his and closes her eyes, letting out a deep sigh as she relaxes into his arms. If EJ or Ashlyn would’ve seen them at that moment, she wouldn’t have been able to live with them teasing her about the look of pure bliss on her face. The thought shakes her out of her trance. Before she wiggles out of Ricky's arms and dashes up the stairs, she says, “You still cry every time though!”

“Hey! It’s a beautiful story!”

 **After her high school graduation, Gina eventually packed up her stuff and moved out of the Caswells' home.**

She was headed off to live out her dreams at the school she’d worked tirelessly to be admitted to: The Juilliard School in New York City. Leaving Salt Lake City the second time around wasn’t easier than the first, much to her dismay. She’d finally felt like she found a home and the Caswells made sure she felt it. At her and Ashlyn’s joint graduation party, she had been gifted with Dr. Seuss’ _Oh, the Places You’ll Go!_ , a special message from all of the great people she met in her time there included inside. It was now proudly displayed on a shelf in the bedroom of her small New York apartment. 

Over the next few years, if she wasn’t visiting her mom in whatever state she was that month, she was flying out to Salt Lake. The only issue with these trips seemed to be that no matter what, she always seemed to miss Ricky by a few days, never being in town at the same time. 

Today, well, _it’s Gina’s 20th birthday_. 

She’d gone out with a few friends and her roommates but decided she wanted to call it a night a little earlier for herself. As she followed her roommate up the stairs of their building, she found herself frowning at her phone in her admittedly half-drunken state. _Something_ was missing and it’s all she wanted right now. 

_That would be the best birthday present_. 

She lets out a dramatic sigh as she locks her phone and begins to take off her heels, nearly tripping up the stairs a few times because honestly, maybe that requires some serious skill.

Her roommate, Chelsea, looks back at her and can’t help but giggle at her struggle, “Are you okay? Do you need help?”

Gina lets out a laugh, realizing how messy she probably looked. She hands Chelsea her shoes and pouts, “I miss him, Chels.” 

_Him_.

Chelsea had heard plenty about Ricky Bowen. She was very well aware of how much he means to Gina. Which is why instead of saying anything, she turns around quickly so that Gina can’t catch a glimpse of the mischievous grin on her face. 

When they get to the door, Gina doesn’t question why she’s suddenly making sure she looks presentable, instead telling her that she's ‘a real one’. 

Once they’re inside the apartment and they’ve started going their separate ways into their respective bedrooms, Chelsea calls out to Gina,

“Oh! Gigi, I almost forgot,” She ran over to Gina in the hall, who- despite being a little tipsy- couldn’t help but notice the way her roommate held up her phone. _That’s a very unnatural way to hol- she must be taking a picture. Candid?_ She throws up a peace sign at the camera.

Chelsea continues, “Can you check if my favorite hoodie got mixed up in your laundry again?” 

Gina simply nods with a smile and guides her to her room. 

When she flicks the light on… she screams bloody murder. 

The body laying on her bed jolts up with a terrified look on their face. After she’s caught her breath and regained some color in her face, she’s definitely sober now. 

It’s like the breath was knocked out of her again when she realizes who had been sprawled out asleep on her bed.

“Ricky?” 

He nods with a sheepish smile on his face, “Happy birthday, Gi.”

With tears already streaming down her face, Gina runs over and tackles him back down onto the bed in a hug. “W-what are you doing here? _How_?” 

“I’ll leave you to it.” Chelsea, who had been recording the entire thing, teases. She had been planning this out with Ricky for a few months now. 

“Chelsea, I love you!” Gina says through tears, sitting up as she looks back and forth between her roommate and best friend in disbelief. 

“Thanks again!” Ricky salutes her as she walks out of the room and shuts the door behind her. 

Once the door is shut, Gina turns back to look at Ricky. _He’s here. He’s actually here_. 

She gently places her hand on his cheek, hesitant at first because maybe if she reached out and touched him, she might be brought back to reality and he’d disappear into thin air. But when he smiles at the touch and the tiny bit of scruff on his face tickles her palm as he places a light kiss on it, she knows it’s real. 

“I can’t believe you’re here.” She whispers, not caring to hide how awestruck she was.

“Me neither.” he replies just as quietly. The loving look in her eyes makes him want to climb to the top of one of the many skyscrapers outside to scream to the world how in love he is with Genevieve ‘Gina’ Porter.

In that moment, he felt he could confirm that nothing, not the stars, the sun, the moon, nor the city lights, could _ever_ shine as bright as the girl in front of him. 

_He would never say that though_. Gina would probably make fun of him and he honestly didn’t know how she felt. For all he knew, she still saw him as Ricky, her goofy friend from high school. So, he says something a little tamer... safer…

“You look beautiful.”

“So do you.” Gina plants a kiss on his forehead, “Thank you for coming. I love you.” She gently bumps her nose against his before getting up to rummage through her drawers for something comfortable to wear.

She leaves Ricky laying there, unable to hide the blush on his face, “I-I love you too.” He stutters.

“I know.” She has a smug smile on her face as she turns and excitedly holds up her pjs, “What do you say to doing nothing?”

**_“I’d say that there’s nothing like doing nothing with you.”_ **


End file.
